Cafeteria food. Even the name itself is an immediate turn-off. Cafeterias represent bland flavors, exhausting repetition, and unrecognizable dishes. When first introduced to my school cafeteria, I was excited. The idea that I, a simple teenager, would have the opportunity to choose my food was enthralling. All right, this is a bit dramatized, but let’s roll with it.

Schools do a good job reeling in your taste buds at the beginning of the year with fresh fruit salads, carefully made pasta, and perfectly textured chicken. Understandably, this is a standard that can be nearly impossible to keep up. Making three meals a day for a couple of thousand students (or many more if you go to a state school) is no easy task. It requires avoiding allergens, mass-producing a simple flavor that won’t upset the stomachs of many, and handing it out with a smile, even while the students roll their eyes in disgust. We’ve all been the eye rollers, and we’ve all been in situations where people aren’t happy with our work. Neither side feels good. So, instead of rolling your eyes at something that just doesn’t suit your taste, try one of the always-interesting “cafeteria hacks.” I’ve compiled a nice list of recipes given to me through student suggestion and/or internet blogs. Enjoy.

Breakfast:

Breakfast panini: A sandwich made using two waffles (or a sliced bagel), bacon, and eggs. Give it a couple of minutes in the panini press, and you’ve got yourself a nice to-go sandwich.

Yogurt parfait: If your school doesn’t have a yogurt bar, just combine some yogurt, sliced bananas, honey, and Cheerios. It’s essentially the same thing.

Scrambled omelet: Forget eating all of your breakfast foods separately! Dice up your bacon and some tomatoes, combine with cheese, and stir into warm, scrambled eggs. Not the perfect omelet, but it's pretty darn tasty.

Lunch/dinner:

Quesadilla: Here’s a way to take advantage of the salad bar by throwing a bit of cheese, chicken, tomatoes, and whatever else you want in your ‘dilla into a wrap, and placing it in a panini press for a few minutes. If you want some guacamole on the side, just mash an avocado and add a little bit of salt. It’s an easy fix.

Burrito bowl: Similar to the quesadilla, if there’s any day that you have access to rice, get a bowl of it and head back to the salad line to add chicken, avocado, tomato, cheese, etc. A nice DIY if your school doesn't have a Chipotle on campus… Or if your Chipotle gives out E. coli with their burrito bowl (I’m looking at you, Boston College).

Pizza bagel: If you aren’t particularly fond of your school’s pizza, add a bit of pasta sauce and some shredded cheese to a sliced bagel, and microwave it long enough for the cheese to melt, for some hick-crust pizza, and a way to use up all of the bagels that sit around, waiting to be eaten.

BLT: Quite a simple “hack,” really. If your school doesn't have the best sandwich line, make your own. Grab some bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce, and sandwich them between two crispy pieces of toast. Feel free to add some mayo for a bit more excitement.

Snacks:

Ice cream float: This one is fairly obvious in retrospect, but I hadn’t thought about it. A quick scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (really any flavor, if you want to be adventurous) combined with a cup of any soda makes a quick pick-me-up for any day.

Spinach and artichoke dip: On the days when artichoke is available, try this quick dip with pita chips. Just slice a bit of spinach from the salad bar, add cream cheese, shredded cheese, and diced artichoke, and microwave until it’s smooth.

If these don't make you feel better about your options, feel free to check out a few more blogs that feature recipes for college students:

Ratty Gourmet: http://rattygourmet.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index.ht...

Cool Campus Living: http://www.coolcampusliving.com/cooking/

Full Thyme Student: http://fullthymestudent.com/